Archtober Building of the Day #15> Red Bull Studios

Archtober Building of the Day #15
Red Bull Studios
220 West 18th Street
SLAB Architecture/INABA

Jeffrey Inaba didn’t have wings, but guided a big group of Archtober enthusiasts and pick up party goers on a tour of Red Bull Studios in Chelsea. Introduced by Lance Jay Brown, 2014 AIANY President, the former Angelino, via OMA, presented a slick 38,000 square foot music studio/gallery/corporate office that spans all trends. With a psychedelic installation curated by Phong Bui and Rail Curatorial Projects, the public spaces, cleverly planned with acoustics and crowd control in mind, sang out with raucous voices of overstimulation—not INABA’s work. The planning, though, underlying the funk and festivity was rock solid, creating a diversity of public space, engaging from the street, clear divisions of public and private, and fantastic core toilets.

(Berit Hoff)

The space on the lower floors was created for the Red Bull Music Academy, a sponsorship of the hopped up drink with young musicians and more senior leaders in the industry. Radio broadcasting, recording, and rehearsal studios are integral to the lower floors program. The sound separation technologies suggested that unspeakable decibel levels were not uncommon. Small kiosks of Red Bull beverages were everywhere…as if you couldn’t go too far without tanking up again.

(Berit Hoff)

Upstairs were the corporate types, although we did not see too many people at their bench-style desks. A masterful display of mechanical, electrical and sprinkler plumbing coordination made the exposed systems of the open loft space quite orderly and well organized. We got our requisite amphitheater interconnecting stair, although with this one, we had the feeling that some of the rockers from downstairs could pop up and enliven it, once the lights were out.

Cynthia Phifer Kracauer, AIA, is the Managing Director of the Center for Architecture and the festival director for Archtober: Architecture and Design Month NYC. She was previously a partner at Butler Rogers Baskett, and from 1989-2005 at Swanke Hayden Connell. After graduating from Princeton (AB 1975, M.Arch 1979) she worked for Philip Johnson, held faculty appointments at the University of Virginia, NJIT, and her alma mater. ckracauer@aiany.org